Propeller housing attachments



Dec. 15, 1959 Filed Feb. 16, 1955 F. C. KRUEGER PROPELLER HOUSING ATTACHMENTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR Fred C. Krue er BY My. 19

ATTORNEY it@ it This invention relates to the provision of an improved insertable motor mounting structure for a boat in combination with the protection of a motor boat propeller and its operating mechanism. More particularly the invention is concerned with an improved insertable reinforcing structure for a motor mounting and the protection, removal and replacement of a boat propeller in combination with an automatic ignition cut-off when the propeller housing and its associated drive shaft are disengaged from the main drive shaft housing and its associated drive shaft. I

In the operation of outboard motor craft using a propeller drive there is usually provided at some point of the drive a shear pin or key which is automatically broken when the propeller hits a snag or is stopped suddenly by some obstructing force. This shear pin must be replaced by dismantling the structure and replacing the broken shear pin. This dismantling of a simple outboard motor is usually not difficult, if tools are available, as the motor can be dismounted or the propeller tipped out of the water within reach of the hands. However with larger permanently installed motors, where the propeller housing and its associated drive are a permanent attachment, the replacement of a shear pin or repair of a damaged propeller is more difiicult and usually requires t beaching of the craft for necessary repairs.

Accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide an improved detachable propeller gear housing attachment to a permanently installed drive shaft housing.

Another object of this improvement in protecting the driven propeller from damage by obstructions is to provide an automatic stoppage of the propeller upon a first contact of the housing with the obstruction.

An additional object of this improvement in protecting structure for motor boat propellers is the provision of a control of the ignition circuit upon separation of the propeller gear housing from a motor driven shaft housing.

Another object of this improvement in protecting the driving mechanism of an outboard and other propeller driven water craft is the provision of an insertable motor boat frame mounting which supports the propeller and its driving mechanism and reinforces the bottom of the boat against the weight of the propeller housing in combination with its associated drive mechanism.

Another object is to provide an improved new combination of structure for protecting an underwater propeller from damage by unseen obstructions.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a partial sectional view showing an arrangement of structure embodied in this disclosure;

Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view of the detachable pivotal mounting for the propeller and its associated housing and gearing, the position of the section being indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective of the motor boat frame mounting for supporting the propeller and its associated driving mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a boat structure showing atent ii 2,917,019 Patented Dec. 15, 1959 the mounting illustrated in Fig. 3 positioned therein, and

Fig. 5 is a side plan view of a boat structure with a side and bottom portion removed and illustrating the frame mounting supporting the propeller and its associated driving mechanism.

In the drawings the permanently attached main drive gearing and shaft housing are designated by the letter A and the propeller and separable gear housing pivotally detachable frcm'the main shaft housing are designated by the letter B.

In the structure illustrative of my new and useful improvement, a boat bottom 10 is provided with an aperture 11 through which an intermediate drive shaft housing 12 is mounted. A pair of steering guide plates 13 are mounted about the shaft housing 12 on each side of the aperture 11. The area 14 between the plates 13 is filled with a water sealing packing. A locking collar 15 turned down on threads 16 binds the guide plates between the lower flange 17 of housing 1.2 and collar 15 and solidly against both sides of the boat bottom 10.

Mounted on the shaft housing 12 is a steering sprocket or sleeve 18 provided for example with a guide wire groove 19 about the peripheral edge of the steering sleeve 18. A pair of integral pins 29, on housing 12, fit within holding slots or grooves 21 in the steering sleeve 18, so that the shaft housing 12 with the propeller and its associated housing B can be turned 366".

Above the steering sleeve 18 is mounted a stationary gear housing 22 containing gearing connecting the motor driven shaft 23 with an intermediate propeller driving shaft 24.

The housing 22 is an enclosure provided with the usual side walls as illustrated by 25 and 26, a bottom wall 27, supported on a roller bearing mounting 27', and detachable top plate or wall 28. The top is fastened down by screw bolts 29 and is provided with an aperture 30 through which shaft 24 extends. The depression 31 in top 28 seats a roller bearingring 32 upon which retaining nut 33, for shaft 24, rests in sliding relationship with lip 34 extending about the depression 31. The base or bottom wall 27 of housing 22 is provided with a depression 35 within which is seated another bearing ring 36. A

attached spaced plates 45 and 45 extend from the clutch 4t and serve to form riders or a mounting for pin 47 on rocker arm 43, whereby through movement of pin 49, supported by lug 49' on wall 27, operated by a suitable shifting lever (not shown) the sliding gear 41 is shifted to intermesh with either top gear 38 or bottom gear 39, for rotating intermediate shaft 24 from shaft 23, as desired.

The intermediate drive shaft 24 is provided with a central aperture 50 with an enlargement 51 in the lower end of the shaft 24. Secured within the aperture 50 and 51 is a push rod 52 held by pin 53 and having at one end an enlarged head 54 which fits and moves within the aperture portion 51 and at its opposite end a tip 54' which bears against a make and break circuit contact 55 mounted on spring arm 56 connected by conductor 57 through the ignition circuit (not shown). Another contact 53 is mounted upon the arm 59 of standard 60 and also connected by conductor 61 through the ignition circuit. A hand switch, not shown, may be used for bypassing the conductors 57 and 61 when it is desired to run against the compression of spring 77.

the motor without the propeller housing being attached. Otherwise a spring 62 mounted about shaft 52, within aperture portion 51, bears against the base of the enlarged aperture 51 and head 54 to withdraw tip '54 from forcing contact 55 against contact 58 and cut out the ignition circuit whenever the propeller is disconnected, in the manner as hereinafter described.

The hollow lower or base end 62 of the intermediate drive shaft 24 is provided with a plurality of grooves 63 within which the splines or keys 64 of drive shaft 65, extending from the impeller gear housing B, are fitted to turn propeller 66 and relative driving blades 67. A water seal and roller bearing 68 is mounted about shaft 65 in cavity 69 of housing B. The connection of shaft 65 to propeller 66 (not shown) is of the conventional pinion and gear type, and may or may not use the conventional shear pin arrangement for protecting the blades 67 The detachable fastening of the housing B to drive shaft housing 12 is more clearly illustrated in Figure 2 taken in conjunction with Figure 1 in that the spaced pair of lugs 70 (only one of which is shown) are sloping outwardly and downwardly and provided with aperture 71. The housing B is also provided with an upwardly and outwardly extending lug 72 having aperture 73. Fitted in the aperture 73 is a pair of movable pins 74 which are mounted to ride against pins 76 on a pair of handles 75. The spring 77 serves as a spring load to normally keep the pins 74 thrust apart or in locking and pivotal fitting engagement within the apertures 71 of lugs 70. The ends of spring 77 may be spot welded to the base of pins 74 to retain them in aperture 73. By squeezing the handles 75 together the pins 74 are forced from apertures 71 In order to secure the pins 76 to lugs 70, the lugs 70 are provided at their sides with depressions 70 which are of suflicient depth to permit collars or keys 7 6 to move with pins 76 inwardly when depressing pins 74. The keys 76 extend through suitable apertures in pins 76 and collars 78 are threaded upon the threaded shoulders 78' to retain handle 75 in cooperative working relationship with pins 74 and associated with lugs 70. The pins 74 being slidingly insertable in apertures 71 pivotally engage the propeller housing B V to the stationary intermediate shaft housing 12. In Figure 1, the housing B is illustrated in a displaced position by the letter B however it is to be understood'that its actual center of gravity or weight normally aligns the shaft 65 into interlocking engagement with shaft 24, as hereinafter described.

The mechanism provided for protecting the propeller 66, blades 67 and housing B from breakage by impact with an underwater obstruction is a pivotal lever arm 79 attached to the forward end of the housing B by pins 80 and 81 formed, for example, as integral portions of the housing B extending at right angles from the flange portion 82 which projectsas an extension from the housing B. The lever arm 79 is provided with a suitable pivotal aperture in the end thereof (not shown) which permits arm 82 to slide over pin 80 for rotational movement therewith and a slotted aperture 83 through which pin 81 projects and cooperatively limits the rotational movement of arm 79 on pin 80. The pins 80 and 81 are provided with conventional cotter key apertures whereby the holding washers 84 and 85 are held by cotter keys 86 and 87, respectively, to hold the lever arm 79 in operative position. The upper end of lever arm 79 is provided with a depression 88 within which is seated the one end of a compression spring 89 with its opposite end resting against the wall of housing B; A catch or locking slot 90 is provided just below the upper rounded end 91 of arm 79.

This rounded end 91 is adapted to ride against the inteand thereby hold the shaft 65 in locked engagement with the intermediate drive shaft 24. In addition the end of shaft 65 engages against tip--54, lifting push rod 52 and tip 54 thereby closing contacts 55 and 58 in the ignition circuit.

Upon any movement of the boat by the turning of propeller blades 67, on contact of the lever arm 79 with an underwater obstruction, the pressure of the object bearing against lever arm 79 causes the arm to be pivoted against the compressive force of spring 89 and unlatches slot from pin 93 permitting the propeller housing B to rotate upwardly on pivot pins 74 to clear the obstruction. Simultaneously the ignition circuit is broken by separation of the contacts 55 and 58. Thereafter the housing B swings back, or otherwise may be pulled or pushed back, to engage the pin 93 in slot 90, mesh the drive shafts 24 and 65, and close contacts 55 and 58 before the motor C is again started.

In order to securely mount and support the housing 12 through aperture 11 and associated gear housing A, motor C, and removable propeller housing B, without darnage to the boat bottom 10, a mounting frame is provided. This frame 100, as shown in Figure 3, is formed of a pair of parallel metal bars 101 and 102 welded together at the ends with cross bars 103 and 104.

The preferred length of the bars 101 and 102 is at least or slightly more than /2 of the length of the boat and the cross bars are selected of an exact length so that the rectangular framework described fits snugly against the inner sides of a boat when supported by the downwardly and inwardly sloping brace rods 105, 106, 107 and 108 which meet at an angle below the center of end cross bars 103 and 164 and at the center line of the boat. The brace 105 is Welded to the rectangular frame at the juncture of bars 102 and 104. The brace 106 is welded to the rectangular frame at the juncture of bars 104 and 101: brace 107 at the juncture of bars 101 and 103, and brace 108 at the juncture of bars 103 and 102. A lower center brace rod or bar 109 is welded at its one end at the juncture of braces 105 and 106 and at its opposite end at the juncture of braces 107 and 108. At the one end of the rectangular frame, at the juncture of 101, 103'and 107 and the juncture of 102, 103 and 108, are welded additional supporting bars 110 and 111, respectively, oined at their outer meeting ends by an angular fastenmg bar 11.2. The fastening bar 112 is a right angular bar having an upper horizontal flange 113 to which bars 110 and 111 are welded and a vertical flange 114. The vertical flange 114 is provided with perforations 115 by which the supporting framework can be bolted, by suitable bolts and water sealing washers 116, to a backboard 117 of boat 118. In a metal boat the flange 114 can be welded to the backboard 117. When the framework 100 is positioned in a boat, the bars 101 and 102 preferably extend somewhat over half the length of the boat and are secured to cross bars 103 and 104 which are measured to an exact length, relative to width of the boat, to rest the frame 100 on the boat bottom 10 and support the motor C and gear housing A, in the manner as illustrated in Figure 5. The frame 100 sits close to the bottom of the boat 118 with bars 101 and 102 fitted against the boat sides 119 and 120, respectively, and the center bar 109 resting against the boat bottom 10 at its approximate center line. i

' To aid in supporting the motor a flat plate or bar 121 is welded between the side bars 101 and 102. The plate 121, bars 101 and 102 are provided with apertures 122 over which are aligned apertured mounting lugs 123 of motor C for fastening down by suitable bolts 124. Thus the motor C is supported by the frame 100 and is connected through shaft housing 23' to gear housing A. The gear housing A is supported on flange 113 of frame portron 112 and cross bar 103 by a collar 125. The collar 125 may be provided as lugs 126 on the sides 25 and 26 of gear housing 22, as shown in Figure 1.

In the conventional handling of a boat the reverse gearing, as indicated, normally backs the boat for short distances in known waters. However, where the underwater condition is unknown and may contain some underwater obstruction the present device permits a complete revolution of the propeller housing B so that the lever arm 79 is on the advancing side and makes first contact with an obstruction to unlock and tip the housing and simultaneously shut off the motor, in the manner as described. With t iis disclosure, a preconstructed conventional light boat can now be subsequently provided with a permanently installed relatively heavy motor and propeller assembly, of the character as herein described, when installed in combination with the improved auxiliary and supplemental reinforcing and supporting framework, as described. With this assembly the light framework of the boat and its bottom are reinforced to withstand weight and shock of a motor and propeller assembly installation, without requiring additional building or rebuilding to provide heavier ribbing and heavier boat structure.

in accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my improvement in protecting motor boat drive, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A propeller driving mechanism comprising in combination an intermediate drive shaft, a housing for said intermediate drive shaft, a detachable drive shaft including an impeller and associated housing pivotally mounted on said intermediate drive shaft housing, interconnecting clutch means on said shafts engageable in one pivotal position of said detachable drive shaft, and an underwater self-releasable locking lever pivotally mounted on the forward end of said associated impeller housing, means on said drive shaft housing engageable with said locking lever for protectively and releasably securing said associated impeller housing and detachable drive shaft in operative relationship with said intermediate drive shaft and housing therefore.

2. In combination a boat having a bottom, side and back board, a supplemental framework mounted in the bottom portion of said boat, a motor and gear housing conta ning associated gears supported by said framework, an intermediate drive shaft and associated pivotal housing connected to said gear housing extending through the bottom of said boat, a detachable propeller housing including a propeller and a propeller drive shaft connected for operation in unison, means pivotally connecting said propeller housing to said associated pivotal housing, clutch means connecting said intermediate drive shaft and said propeller drive shaft in one relative pivotal position thereof, and pivoted latch means on said propeller housing detachably engageable with said associated pivotal housing for holding said housings in said one relative position, whereby, when said latch means is pivoted to disengage said associated pivotal housing, said propeller housing may pivot and said intermediate drive shaft and said propeller drive shaft may declutch.

3. In combination a protective structure for a prebuilt boat having a permanently installed motor and propeller drive assembly subsequently inserted therein comprising a motor mounting framework consisting of a rectangular frame portion resting against the sides of the boat, angularly positioned depending braces extending downwardly and meeting inwardly at the center of the boat, a connecting bar joining the meeting point of said braces and supporting the said rectangular frame portion above the bottom of the boat, a motor mounted on said framework, a drive shaft connected to said motor and supported by said framework, a pivotal housing extending through the bottom of the boat and sealed in water tight relationship therewith, a detachable propeller housing including a pro peller and propeller shaft hingedly connected to said pivotal housing beneath the boat, a clutch connection between said drive shaft and said propeller shaft in one pivotal position of said propeller housing, and releasable latch means on said propeller housing detachably connecting said propeller housing to said pivotal housing in said one pivotal position, whereby when said releasable latch means engages an underwater obstruction, the latch will release, and the force of the impact will be transmitted through said pivotal housing to said framework.

4. In the structure of claim 1, the combination including ignition circuit control contacts, lever means associated with the said intermediate drive shaft engageable with said contacts for operating said contacts, means on said associated impeller housing engaging said lever means when said impeller housing is in said one position for closing said contacts, and cooperative spring means associated w.th said lever for quickly disengaging said contacts upon pivotal movement of said impeller housing.

5. In combination a boat having a protective arrangement for the motor drive assembly comprising a gear housing, forward and reversing gears in said gear housing, a drive shaft for said gears, an intermediate drive shaft driven by said gears, a housing adapted to be permanently attached through a boat bottom for supporting said intermediate driven shaft, an aperture through said driven shaft, a push rod movable between a raised and lowered position and extending from said aperture, a contact switch adapted to be closed by said push rod when it is held in a raised position, a pivotally mounted propeller housing containing a propeller drive shaft and propeller pivotally mounted to said housing for said intermediate drive shaft, a clutch connection between said intermediate driven shaft and said propeller drive shaft in one pivoted position of said propeller housing, a pivoted lever attached to the forward end of said propeller housing detachably engageable with said intermediate drive shaft housing to hold said propeller housing in said. one pivotal position, and means supported by said propeller housing engaging said push rod in said one pivotal position to hold said push rod in said raised position.

6. The structure of claim 1 wherein said releasable locking lever arm pivotally mounted on said associated impeller housing is provided with a locking slot and the said means on said housing for said intermediate drive shaft engageable with said locking lever comprises a cooperable pin engageable in said slot for locking said impeller housing to said intermediate drive shaft housing.

7. The structure of claim 6 wherein, the said releasable locking lever arm pivotally mounted on said impeller housing is held in spaced relationship thereto and in locking engagement with said cooperable pin by a compression spring mounted between the said arm and the said housing.

8. The structure of claim 2, wherein said supplemental framework comprises parallel bars resting against the inner sides of said boat and parallel end bars forming a rectangular frame therewith, depending braces extending downwardly to a center bar in parallel relationship to said first indicated parallel bars, and rearwardly extending bars ending in a fastening plate securing said framework to the backboard of said boat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,204,895 Michel Nov. 14, 1916 1,574,977 Johnson Mar. 2, 1926 1,689,962 Peck Oct. 30, 1928 1,745,235 Svendsen Jan. 28, 1930 1,802,351 Neumann Apr. 28, 1931 1,824,213 Johnson Sept. 22, 1931 1,943,288 Chandler Jan. 16, 1934 1,990,387 Linthwaite Feb. 5, 1935 2,103,087 Morris Dec. 21, 1937 

